Minnesota United awarded expansion team

Now it is official. MLS has announced today that Minnesota has been awarded an expansion team that will begin play in 2018. The new team will be owned by a Minnesota ownership group led by Dr. Bill McGuire and will play in a new soccer-specific stadium in downtown Minneapolis.

“We are proud to welcome Minnesota to Major League Soccer,” said Commissioner Garber. “The ownership group’s commitment to soccer and the community, the area’s growing millennial population and the region’s rich tradition of supporting soccer at all levels in Minnesota were key indicators that this was the right market. The passionate soccer fans in Minnesota will soon have a world-class, downtown soccer stadium that will serve as the home for the new MLS team and become a destination for marquee international sports events.”

A key element of the new club’s bid was the proposal to build an outdoor stadium that is centrally located in the community and accessible through public transportation. The proposed stadium would be located in The Farmers Market neighborhood on the western sides of Target Field (home of the Minnesota Twins) and immediately adjacent to Interstate 94. The club is working to finalize the plan for the new stadium by July 1.